


Jude

by dannihowell (iguessicantry)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - World War II, Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-27 15:39:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7624336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iguessicantry/pseuds/dannihowell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil, the son of a Nazi, befriends a Jewish boy named Daniel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jude

“Philip! Philip, let’s go!”

“I’m coming, Mum!” he called back as he shoved the small marbles in his pocket. He couldn’t find his cat, Clara. He had found her, a little black feline, and fed her one afternoon. He did it some many times, she of course attached herself to him but now she couldn’t be found. “Clara!” he whispered desperately. “The country will be fun! There will be many mice for you to eat. Do not be sad.”

“It’s time to go, Philip!”

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” He finally gave up looking for the cat. He would have to go without her. Philip took one last look around his bedroom. His family was moving to the countryside of Poland. His father was Commandant in the army, proudly German, perfectly Aryan and a Nazi to the core. Commandant Heinrich Leder, his wife Maria and their children Philip and Brigitte were leaving their home because Heinrich was promoted and therefore needed in Poland.

Philip, who was not a popular boy by any means, was not upset by the move. Yes, he would miss his room and the tire swing in the back garden but they were moving to a country home with wide open spaces and away from the tormentors at his school. He had no problem leaving and looked forward to long days without classes as it was now holiday and reading the days away.

His older sister, Brigitte, was another story completely. She was the model of Hitler youth, bearing the swastika on her arm with pride and a salute whenever she passed an officer. She was also the favorite. Brigitte had a great amount of friends. She had a powerful personality, pleasant features and strong sense of confidence, though her mother tried to remind her that a young lady should be soft spoken. Nevertheless, Brigitte was a soldier at heart and Hitler had consumed her thoughts. She was melancholy about leaving her comrades but understood duty to the Fatherland. Now seventeen, six years older than her brother, she was still very much interested in movie stars, especially the Americans, and books but things were changing. She was changing.

Phil, as he liked to be called most of the time, flew down the stairs and out the entryway. The car was packed and their house barren. He took one last look and left it all behind. His mother asked him why he took so long and he muttered something about that ‘dumb cat’ and pouted. Brigitte giggled and rested his head on her shoulder lovingly. “We’ll get another one, okay?”

Phil nodded and settled in for the long car trip.

—

Some hours later, the Leders arrived at their new home. It was a rather large compound, surrounded by a high fence with a ‘suitable garden,’ Maria commented. There were a few people there when they arrived, in uniforms familiar to them all.

“Welcome, Commandant!” a young soldier said from the front steps.

“Officer Fleischer, it’s a pleasure to see you here,” Heinrich replied, getting out of the car.

“I came to ensure that everything was in order for you and your lovely wife.” He tipped his cap politely and showed a wonderfully charming smile. Fleischer gestured for her hand saying, “Hello, Mrs. Leder.”

Blushing furiously under her already heavy rouge, Maria took his offer and received a chaste kiss to her hand. The car door slammed shut and two more figures emerged behind the woman, one being the beguiling Brigitte, smiling quite innocently with the boy.

“And who, may I ask, is this?” Fleischer asked, offering his hand to the girl as well.

“This is my daughter,” Commandant Leder spoke, smiling at her with pride. “Brigitte, dear, this is Officer Fleischer. His lineage is strong, a true Aryan and a good soldier.”

“Thank you, Sir” he nodded. Phil watch passively as the entire scene played out before him. It was of no interest to him so he took a glance around the yard and driveway. He spotted a young man planting in a small patch by the side of the house. He was dressed, or rather covered, in a thin rag of cloth. It was blue and white striped and looked absolutely filthy. Phil continued his study while the others talked.

“Brigitte? That is a beautiful name. It suits you. I am Jan,” Fleischer flirted.

“It is quite a pleasure to meet you,” she answered demurely, nodding her head slowly as if to say, ‘the pleasure is _all_ mine.’ Jan was a tall, blue eyed young man. At twenty-one years old, he was at his peak and by far one the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen off screen. Commandant Leder proposed moving into the house where they could start getting settled in, direct the moving men and pray that nothing broke.

“Trash!” Jan yelled suddenly in Phil’s direction. He stood there frightened for his life until Jan continued. “Start moving the boxes inside. Now!”

The young man stood up and without even looking up, followed his orders. Phil watched with a curious eye and saw that this was no man, but a boy just like himself. He was tall and terribly skinny but he couldn’t be much older.

“That was rather harsh,” Maria noted walking into the house.

“The Jews need to be kept in their place, Ma’am. It is the only way to treat their kind.”

“Yes, I agree” Brigitte piped in. Jan smiled with her before letting her walk ahead of him into the house.

Commandant Leder added, “That isn’t the only way to treat their kind.”

“What does that mean, dear?”

Jan raised his brow knowingly and Heinrich chuckled. “You’ll see soon enough. Why don’t you see to the kitchen and make sure everything is in order. Fleischer and I should be heading to the camp by now.”

“Will you be home for dinner?” she asked with her back turned, looking around the new house, trying to find her bearings as men moved all around and put the boxes in their designated rooms.

“We both will,” he said. “Philip?”

“Yes?”

“A good soldier knows his duty. Make sure to help your mother and sister with the things. Save the reading for later.”

“Yes, Papa.” Heinrich smiled fondly at his son, ruffling his black hair, just like his.

***

Within a week, everything was settled and the family soon fell into an easy routine, especially the children who enjoyed the long summer days. Phil spent his days in the back garden reading book after book, hour after hour but after a while and after pestering his sister, he decided to go for a walk in the forest just beyond the compound.

The air was warm but only slightly and the shade from the canopy of trees gave him a chill up his arm. He heard the call of a bird in the distance and started a sprint, terrified of the wilderness. He hadn’t realized he wasn’t the type to do this, that he was the stay at home kind who should never drift into a forest without a guide.

Phil reached the edge of the forest, bursting through the thick of trees and happening upon a tall fence. A butterfly flew above him and the red, white and black of its wings transfix him. The insect gently perched on the metal of the fence and buzzed audibly then dropped to the ground, dead. Phil walked to the fence, careful not to touch, and picks up the poor thing. Its wings had gone black.

Now intrigued by the strange fence, Phil walked along the border until he spotted boy on the other side. “Hi,” he said feebly, trying to get the boy’s attention. He did not answer though. But he rose his head slowly as if it was too heavy. “My name is Phil. What’s yours?”

The boy stared at Phil for a moment, tilted his head then peered side to side while biting his lip. “Daniel,” he finally answered.

“Hi, Daniel.” Phil stepped up to the fence and Daniel warns, “Be careful. It will kill you.”

“What will kill me?”

“The fence. It has electricity running through it.”

“Why? Is it to keep someone out?” he asks innocently, sitting down on his side of the fence and pulling at the grass on either side of his body.

Daniel shook his head. “It is to keep us in.”

“Really? Who keeps you in there?”

“The SS officers. I am Jewish and I was brought here with my family.”

“You are? You don’t look it!”

“What does a Jew look like?”

“I don’t know. My father says they are like animals. You do not look like that. You don’t look like the man in the posters either.”

Daniel stared at him blankly again before saying, “What is it like out there?”

Phil looked all around shrugs. “The same as in there, I guess.”

“Oh.”

“How old are you?”

“Eleven, I think. My birthday is June 11. Has it passed yet?”

“That was three days ago! Happy Birthday!”

“Thank you!” Daniel smiled.

“Do you like streusel? Ana said she would make some for dessert tonight.”

Daniel’s eyes lit up at the word and he says, “I love streusel! My mother made the best kind.”

“Maybe she can make some and we’ll have to compare and that means more streusel for us both!”

Daniel shook his head and his face fell.

“Did I say something wrong? I always say something wrong. Oh no…” Phil worried.

“No, you didn’t say anything wrong. Who is Ana?” Daniel inquired.

“The maidservant. She is short and fat and much too loud when she sings in the kitchen but she’s very nice to me.”

“My sister’s name was Ana. She had a twin named Sarah.”

“Twins are fun. Do they play tricks on their teachers a lot?”

“They did not go to school yet. They were only four years old.”

“Why do you talk about them that way? Where have they gone?”

“I don’t know.” Daniel looked through the fence, past Phil and fell into a daydream of sorts. “I have not seen my mother or my sisters since we came here. There was a lot of smoke in the sky after that.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Probably months. I don’t really know.”

Phil sighed and decided to change the subject, this one a bit too heavy for him. “Do you like books?”

Daniel smiled at the question. “We had books all over our house. My favorite was The Wizard of Oz. I know it’s a baby book but I love the story.”

“Me too!” Phil exclaimed.

“I miss our library, the one we had in the back of the house,” Daniel thought aloud. “I wish I could click my heels and go home or a tornado would take me away.”

Phil chuckled at the thought of a tornado taking them away to a faraway land with talking animals and plants and an evil witch. “Me too. And I always wanted to meet a talking lion like in the book–,”

“ _Achtung_!” shouted a loud booming voice followed by barking and then gun shots.

“I have to go!” Daniel hurried from his spot behind a cluster of boulders and ran off.

“See you tomorrow!” Phil called, hoping the boy would return and that maybe, just maybe he had made a friend. Daniel looked back and waved good-bye, before joining a group of men dressed in the same pajama like clothing.

***

After lunch, every day, Phil snuck out of the garden, ran through the forest because it was frankly too dark for his liking and sat by the fence. Some days, Daniel was there waiting from him and other days Phil waited… and waited. One day in particular, Daniel came with a bruised cheek and black eye. “What happened?”

“I made one of the officers angry.”

“What did you do?”

“I don’t know.”

“My Papa is a Commandant. I bet he could punish that officer for doing that to you. No one should be hit like that!”

“Who is your papa?”

“Commandant Leder.”

Daniel’s eyes widened and he fell silent.

“Are you okay?” asked Phil, voice full of concern. Daniel shook his head and finally said, “I think I should go,” the fear clear in his wavering voice.

“Why? What did I do?”

“Nothing. I am tired and hungry. I need to sleep.”

“You are always hungry,” Phil noted. “I will bring you a sandwich tomorrow!” Phil hoped the offering of food would keep their friendship intact. He really hoped he would not screw this up. He really liked Daniel.

“Okay,” Daniel nodded. “Tomorrow.”

***

The next day, Jan appeared in the morning to take Brigitte and, as chaperon, Phil into the town to see a film. Afterwards, they went on a picnic where Jan asked Phil to find the flower with blue petals and red thorns. Phil, too curious for his own good, went off in search of the unique sounding flower, which according to Jan, was only found in this part of the world and nowhere else.

When he returned, frustrated and hot, Phil saw Brigitte’s lips on Jan and shouted, “I’m telling Papa!”

“No, you won’t!” Brigitte yelled back. Phil taunted her by running around the two of them and making kissy faces. “Please don’t tell, Papa!”

“You don’t want get me in trouble, do you? I won’t take you to the cinema anymore if your father has me sent away,“ Jan bargained. 

Phil considered his position and nodded, making Jan smirk and Brigitte sigh.

It was not until Phil arrived at the fence the next day that he realized he had forgotten about Daniel’s sandwich. It was already too late to turn back and get one so he apologized quickly. Daniel clutched his stomach and smiled, telling him it was okay.

***

A few days later, Phil was in his room when he heard someone shout, “Dirty little cockroach! Come here!” Deciding to go downstairs, Phil left his room and went into the dining room where he saw Jan grabbing the collar of a boy, dressed in the blue and white pajamas. Phil’s eyes opened wide when he saw that it was Daniel.

“You do not look at me, you filthy thing! I am your superior!” Jan raised his hand and Phil yelled, “Stop!”

“Oh… Phil. It is okay. It’s just a Jew.”

“Please,” Phil pleaded.

“Okay,” Jan sighed, releasing Daniel who fell to the floor. “You are too nice to them. Your father would not put up with this in his own house, Phil. I am just doing what he would do.”

“Officer Fleischer?” Brigitte called from the front passageway, dressed in a lovely summer dress. “Are you coming?”

Jan smiled and walked past Phil, ruffled his hair, then followed the girl out of the house.

“Thank you,” whimpered Daniel. “I was certain he would hit me again.”

“Again? Is he the same officer that did _that_ to your face?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Why are you here?” Phil asked while helping Daniel stand up.

Daniel shrugged. “They pulled me out of the barracks this morning and brought me here.”

“I’m glad you are here!” Phil ran into the next room and returned with a two cookies in hand. “Not a good as streusel but they are good. I owe you for breaking my promise.”

“Thank you.” Daniel took the cookies and nibbles at it like a rabbit, making Phil giggle.

Daniel spends the day taking orders from Ana and Mrs. Leder while Phil watched from a reasonable distance. He had learned by this point that Daniel, no matter how he looked, was a Jew and he should not be friends with him. He still could not figure out why though.

They were practically the same person. Daniel’s family was not very big and his father works very hard. Daniel’s mother cooks really  good food just like Phil’s and Daniel loves his sisters just as Phil loves his. Daniel could speak Hebrew and Phil could speak English but so what? They were both Germans, who as it turned out had lived only a few streets from each other in Berlin. Daniel told him his name means ‘God is my judge,’ in Hebrew. Phil asked, “What does that mean?”

“God will judge all my sins and the sins of others. Only He can. We are all the same that way.”

“You must have really paid attention in church.”

“Temple,” Daniel corrected him. “I went to my synagogue and I was studying for my Bar Mitzvah.”

“What is that?”

“When I become a man. On my 13th birthday.”

“You have to study to become a man?” Phil asked, outraged.

Daniel laughed and reasoned, “How else would I know all the laws and everything? A man knows what is right and wrong. A man knows how to read the holy books and how to live with God in his heart.”

“I guess. I do not really like church. I always fall asleep,” Phil admitted. “I probably will not become a man, huh?”

“You will. When you are older,” Daniel resolved.

“I doubt it,” Phil giggled. “I do not think I want to wear scratchy suits and go to work all day. I would rather stay a little boy forever.”

Daniel chuckled and continued shoveling in the garden as he had been doing through the entire conversation.

***

One night, Jan joined the family for dinner. As Phil played with the steamed cabbage on his plate, Heinrich asked Jan an interesting question. “Fleischer, where did you say your mother was from?”

“Bavaria, Commandant.”

“Yes,” Heinrich nodded, picking up his glass and taking a sip. “And her father?”

“He was born in Austria.”

“What was his name at birth?”

“Adam.”

“His last name, Fleischer.”

“I knew him only as Adam Kotler.”

Heinrich put his glass down and smirked. “Records show he was not born Kotler. Your grandfather was adopted when he was an infant. It seems you have been hiding that very important part of your bloodline. Would you like to enlighten us with his original name?”

“Mein Commandant—“

“Jew!” shouts Heinrich, rising out of his chair and pointing a finger at the soldier.

“No!”

“He was born Cohen and you have been sitting here in my home, contaminating it with your filth!”

“I am not one of them!”

“You will be.”

***

Later, Phil found Brigitte crying into her pillow. He knocked on the door only to hear a muffled plea to ‘go away.’

“Did you really like him that much?”

“No!” she refused. “Yes…” Brigitte felt a comforting hand stroking her hair and looked up at Phil, who sat next to her on the bed.

“He was not very nice.” Phil thought back to the day he saw Daniel with a black eye.

“He was the nicest! Why? Why, God? Why?” she sobbed into the pillow.

“Why what?” asked Phil, genuinely concerned. Brigitte never looked this sad before. Never.

“Why did he have to be one of them?”

***

“Philip, go upstairs. This is not for you.”

“But Papa…” he whined. The officers chuckled and took their seats in the living room that had been turned into a makeshift cinema with a projector in the middle of the room.

“Go now,” he smiled and Phil stomped up the stairs, upset because he really wanted to see the film.

It was only a few minutes later when he realized his could watch from the small slots in the double doors that opened to the living room. The lights were turned off and the small crowd inside settled down as an announcer’s voice spoke in German. “Welcome to Auschwitz…”

Phil grabbed a step stool from the cupboard and positioned himself so he could see the film. As the film went on, Phil started to grow jealous. Daniel had not told him about the games and the indoor pool. Daniel never told him about the endless amount of ice cream and cake served on Fridays after super. He had lied to him. Daniel said there was never any food except watery soup. The camp looked like the best place in the world and Phil has been stuck out here in the boring countryside when he could have been having fun. That fence was definitely to keep people out. As the announcer said, “A place perfect for people like you…”

When the film finished, Phil scrambled to get away before his father could catch him. Once upstairs in his bedroom, he made the resolution that he was going to make Daniel let him into the camp. He wanted to have fun too.

***

“You what?”

“I want to come inside and see for myself.”

“You can’t!”

“Why not, Daniel? Why not?”

“You won’t like it.”

“Daniel.”

“You don’t have the right clothes.”

“Go and get some for me.”

“Okay…” Daniel left Phil by the fence as he snuck into a building and returned with the pajamas and even a cap. Phil in the meantime had been digging a hole so that he could go under the fence without being electrocuted. He took the clothes from Daniel and got dressed quickly. With quite a struggle, he finally made it inside, laughing at how he and Daniel looked funny wearing the same clothes.

“Now, can you take me to the cinema to see what is playing?”

“Cinema? What cinema?”

“You know, Daniel…” Phil shook his head skeptically. “Okay, what about the canteen? Can we get some ice cream? It’s hot today.”

“Ice cream?” Daniel questioned, looking at Phil as if he had grown a second head beside his own. “I need to find my father. He left this morning with a work crew and then I heard gun shots this morning after he left.”

“Let’s go look for him. I’m sure he’s here.”

Phil followed Daniel into the camp, not very pleased with what he saw. There were men everywhere, so skinny they looked like walking skeletons. They all wore the same pajamas and they all had the look of exhaustion and hopelessness on their faces.

“Daniel?” Phil murmured feeling scared all of sudden.

“I think I see him!” Daniel mumbled, walking a little faster through a large cluster of prisoners.”

“Keep moving!” the officers yelled. Their dogs barked and scared Phil. He liked dogs but these were the meanest he had ever come across. He kept close to Daniel and felt safe again but the jostling crowd pushed them into a building as it started to rain. “Move!” a man shouted in German and then again in another language.

“They probably wanted to keep us dry from the rain,” Phil reasoned. Daniel nodded and smiled lightly. The door slammed shut and then there was a hiss. The air became thicker. The sounds of shouting and screaming filled the ever-tightening space. Phil clung to Daniel, who had been holding his hand since they had been pushed inside.

Moments later, the room was dead silent.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr  
> [dannihowell](https://danni-howell.tumblr.com/)


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